Carpets, rugs and mats for home and industrial use are typically made from synthetic or natural fibers such as nylon, polyester, polyolefins, acrylics, rayon, cellulose acetate, cotton and wool. Of the foregoing, synthetic fibers tend to be more commercially acceptable and can be used for a wider variety of applications.
Of the synthetic fibers, nylon has been the polymer of choice for carpets. However, nylon is not without its drawbacks. Notably, nylon carpeting is susceptible to developing static electric charges and thus must be treated to reduce the build-up of static charges. Another disadvantage of nylon carpeting is that it will readily stain. Accordingly, nylon carpets are usually treated to reduce their staining tendencies. These treatments do not, however, prevent all staining, nor do they last for the life of the carpet.
On the other hand, carpets made from polyolefins, such as polypropylene, are very resistant to staining and are naturally antistatic. However, polypropylene is a more rigid and less resilient fiber and will not generally maintain its appearance or shape under prolonged or heavy use, or after repeated deformations.
An object of the invention therefor is to provide an improved carpet face filament.
Another object of the invention is to provide a carpet face filament having the resiliency of polyamide and the stain resistance of polyolefin.
Still another object of the invention is provide a method for producing a carpet face filament which exhibits inherent antistatic properties.